The aims of the students Osteopathic Association, is to encourage osteopathic ideals and unity in the profession of osteopathy, to provide quality education to future osteopaths, and to help dialogue and discussions among osteopaths in an effort to improve the quality of health care. The clinical clerkships coordinator will try to help the SOMA to prepare all the budding osteopaths for residency, this is done with the help of workshops and conventions. The association also keeps a list of all the available rotations for the internship, this helps in allotting the right place to the right student as and when there is a vacancy. What is SOMA? It is the short form for student osteopathic medical association.
To become a SOMA member you have to write some student resolutions, SOMA helps in a practice of medicine along with a holistic approach. The line of medicine which specialises in preventive diseases includes osteopathy as one of its branches.
Scope of preventive osteopathy:
Helping patients with arthritis with physical therapies and holistic approach. This helps in preventing arthritic disabilities which may arise from chronic arthritis, holistic medicine is one way in which even some of the most advanced cases get pain relief. At least half of the world population suffers from some form of arthritis in their lifespan.
Pregnancy and childbirth- the physiological condition of pregnancy depletes the body of all its iron an calcium store, with the added effect of all the pregnancy hormones the bones get depleted of calcium and become weak. Most women do not experience any kind of weakness as far as their skeletal health is concerned immediately after or during pregnancy, but this calcium deficit goes on adding up in case no supplementation and osteopathic intervention is seeked. The entire added calcium deficit manifests itself at the time of menopause and after that, leading to easy fractures and frequent bone pains. All this can be prevented in case osteopathy help is taken at the right time.
An osteopathy student has to study allied branches like studying acupressure and while still a student at the osteopathy medical college.